Susan L. Brantley                        William H. Brune III                      Darrell G. Schlom

Three EMS Faculty Receive the Title of Distinguished Professor
The recognition of outstanding academic contribution to the University is definitely appropriate and necessary. The avenue for such recognition can be awarded to qualified faculty members upon recommendation of their peers and the administration through the title of "Distinguished Professor." The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is proud to announce that three of their faculty members were recently selected to receive the title of Distinguished Professor. They include:

Susan L. Brantley, Distinguished Professor of Geosciences

William H. Brune III, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology

Darrell G. Schlom, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Please join me in congratulating Drs. Brantley, Brune and Schlom on this outstanding accomplishment.

Earth Scientists Part of Nobel Peace Prize - Winning U.N. Climate Change Panel
The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shares the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, involves several Penn State earth scientists as members of the core Working Groups, authors or expert reviewers.

IPCC is a network of more than 2,000 scientists who assessed on a comprehensive and objective basis the scientific, technical and socioeconomic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.

The Fourth Assessment Report "Climate Change 2007," which provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change, has been completed.

Five Penn State scientists in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences serve as IPCC members. They are:

Richard Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences
William Easterling, Dean, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Michael Mann, Associate Professor of Meteorology
Anne Thompson, Professor of Meteorology
Klaus Keller, Assistant Professor of Geosciences

These important reports are produced every five to six years to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the current state of knowledge on climate change. They describe progress in understanding the human and natural drivers of climate change, observed climate change, climate processes and attribution, and estimates of projected future climate change.

Information about the IPCC is available at http://www.ipcc.ch/ online.

Associate Dean for Education, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
John Hellmann, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, was appointed Associate Dean for Education in EMS. He is the administrative head for curriculum, degree programs, teaching practices, course delivery, accreditation activities, recruiting and retention, scholarships and outreach activities. Hellmann serves on the Administrative Council on Undergraduate Education (ACUE) and the University Faculty Senate.

John Hellmann

Associate Dean for Educational Equity
Catherine "Cathy" Lyons is the College's first Associate Dean for Educational Equality. Cathy served as Assistant to the Dean for Diversity Enhancement in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. Prior to that appointment, she served as Director of the Center for Minority Graduate Opportunities and Faculty Development and, during the 1991-92 academic year, Cathy served as Administrative Fellow to the Provost and Executive Vice President. Cathy will work with the EMS community to promote a climate of opportunity designed to recruit, to retain, and to support outstanding and diverse pools of undergraduate and graduate students in EMS. She will be responsible for strategic planning, proposal submissions, and implementation of programs to empower present and future generations of students.

Catherine "Cathy" Lyons

Please join me in congratulating Drs. Hellmann and Lyons on their new leadership roles in EMS.

Leadership in AESEDA Changes Hands--Penn State Appoints Adewumi to Vice Provost for International Programs
The College is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Crane, Professor of Geography, as the new Director of the Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA). Rob is a climatologist with extensive research and teaching experience in Sub-Saharan Africa. His work on downscaling of climate model simulations to create high-resolution climate information in Africa is well-known and highly regarded. Rob has been deeply involved in the development of AESEDA’s broad portfolio of capacity building, teaching, and research. Rob has the vision to help it realize its goals to facilitate the development of resident African scientific capacity in the earth and engineering sciences and to promote cutting edge team research involving African and EMS scientists.

Thaddeus Ityokumbul has been appointed associate director for AESEDA. Thaddeus has been an active member of the AESEDA team since the inaugural symposium in 2003 and was instrumental in forging out initial partnerships with Nigerian universities and organizations.

Are you wondering where Michael Adewumi resides? Michael Adewumi, the Quentin E. and Louise L. Wood University Endowed Fellow and Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering who also served as Director of AESEDA was named Penn State's Vice Provost for International Programs on October 1, 2007. Adewumi will provide leadership for the University’s education abroad programs and support services for international students and scholars, and will work to develop strategic international partnerships and a more globally oriented curriculum for Penn State students. He will collaborate with the University’s college deans, campus chancellors, and key faculty to ensure an inter-national perspective in the University’s three major functions of teaching, research, and service/outreach.

Please join me in congratulating Drs. Crane, Ityokumbul and Adewumi in their new leadership roles in the College and at Penn State.

Alley Named Recipient of the Revelle Medal
Professor Richard Alley has received yet another great honor. Richard has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the Roger Revelle Medal by AGU. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate, or related aspects of the Earth system, and Richard joins an incredibly prestigious array of former recipients.

Please join me in congratulating Richard on this accomplishment.

Brune Awarded Henry J. Reid Individual Award
William Brune, Professor and Department Head of Meteorology has been awarded NASA's 2008 Henry J. E. Reid Individual Award for "an outstanding paper entitled 'A Reevaluation of Airborne Hox Observations from NASA Field Campaigns.'"

Please join me in congratulating Bill on this accomplishment.

Penn State Gets Critical Zone Observatory
Shale Hills is already a busy area in Penn State's managed forest lands, but now a five-year $4.2 million National Science Foundation Grant will make it even busier. Currently, Henry Lin, associate professor of hydropedology/soil hydrology, has 100 soil moisture monitoring sites in the area. Susan L. Brantley, professor of geosciences and a co-principle investigator on the Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory, has already begun geochemistry studies on the nature of shale weathering in this area under the Center for Environmental Chemical Analysis, a joint NSF/Department of Energy-funded center.

Now, with the NSF Critical Zone Observatory Grant, Shale Hills becomes one of three such observatories in the United States looking for a fundamental understanding of the region between the top of the forest canopy and the base of unweathered rock. The other research locations funded by NSF are the University of California, Merced in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the University of Colorado, Boulder in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The three universities and their partners will collaborate in all phases of the project. These observatories are part of the NSF sponsored Critical Zone Environmental Network.

Brantley Elected as Fellow of American Geophysical Union
Sue Brantley, Director of Earth and Environmental Systems Institute has been elected as a new American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellow for 2007. AGU is the largest organization of Earth and space scientists, with 48,000 members worldwide. AGU has a diverse program for recognizing members and others who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the geophysical sciences, to the service of the community, and to the public’s understanding. The designation is conferred upon not more than 0.1% of all AGU members in any given year. New Fellows are chosen by a Committee of Fellows. This honor is a tribute to Dr. Brantley’s profound contributions to environmental geochemistry, her innovation and leadership in developing new scientific initiatives, and her major impact on national geosciences education. [2007 FELLOWS]

Please join me in congratulating Sue on these accomplishments.

Grayson Receives Old Timers Club Faculty Award
The Old Timers Club Faculty Award is given annually to recognize an outstanding faculty member who has been an inspiration to students and has devoted a career to the development of mining engineers. The Old Timers Club was conceived during the American Mining Congress Convention of 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nine leaders in the mining industry formed a group with the intent of improving the techniques of coal mining. The written purpose of the Old Timers Club was to "perpetuate friendships formed with the coal industry and to promote worthy activities directed toward the betterment of coal mining."

This year's recipient of the Old Timers Club Faculty Award was R. Larry Grayson, Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering and George H and Anne B. Deike Chair in Mining Engineering.

Please join me in congratulating Larry Grayson on this accomplishment.

Richard Alley

Mike Arthur

American Association for the Advancement of Science Elect New Fellows
The Department of Geosciences is happy to announce that Richard Alley and Mike Arthur have been elected as Fellows of AAAS.

Richard is an international authority on the dynamics of ice sheets, their stability in the light of climate change, and the ancient climate record contained within them.

Mike is responsible for major innovations in the way we interpret Earth’s sedimentary carbon cycle and how it has changed from the Archean to the present.

This is a major honor for Mike and Richard. Please join the Department of Geosciences in congratulating them.

Pisupati Selected to Penn State Homecoming Court
The 2007 Homecoming Committee selected Sarma V. Pisupati, Associate Professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, as one of the faculty members to represent Penn State during Homecoming. Dr. Pisupati was chosen because of his dedication to his students and the University. He was recognized at the Pep Rally which followed the Homecoming Parade on the Old Main steps and during the Wisconsin game at halftime.

Please join me in congratulating Sarma on this honor.

'Nightly Business Report' Coal Series Featured Penn State Professor and Student
The PBS television show "Nightly Business Report" aired a three-part energy series on coal The third segment featured faculty and student representatives from Penn State.

Vladislav Kecojevic, an associate professor who holds the Centennial Career Development Professorship in Mining Engineering, and Penn State student Matt Mowry, a senior mining engineering student and president of the Penn State Mining Society Student Group, appeared on this third segment, which focused on "the mining industry's efforts to recruit the workers it needs to satisfy the nation's hunger for coal."

"Nightly Business Report" correspondent Stephanie Dhue interviewed Kecojevic and Mowry along with Brett Ashley, a junior mining engineering student. [View the "Nightly Business Report" Segment Online]

Penn State Receives Mine Emergency Training Grant
Penn State’s Miner Training Program has received a $135,000 Brookwood – Sago Mine Safety Grant from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.

The grant, the largest of seven such grants totaling half million dollars, will establish a program that will train 1,000 miners and 1,120 other individuals including trainers, supervisors, emergency, services personnel and inspectors. The project will include both training materials and an interactive mine emergency simulation exercise.

The Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants commemorate 13 men who died in two explosions at the Jim Walter Resources #5 Mine in Brookwood, Ala., in 2001 and 12 who died in an explosion at the Sago Mine in Buchannon, W.Va. in 2006. They will be offered annually to provide education and training for employers and miners, with a special emphasis on smaller mines. Several small Pennsylvania mines are collaborating with Penn State on the project, which will run through September 2008.

The Penn State program will include a “train the trainer” aimed at instructors. An instructor training manual will offer lesson outlines and plans for several mine emergency preparedness topics. The program also will target miners to enhance their ability to survive a mine emergency by successfully evacuating from the mine. A simulated mine emergency, a town hall meeting and a web cast archive of successful mine emergency response are part of the project.

The project director is Mark C. Radomsky, director and senior lecturer, Miner Training Program, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Penn State.

Tschakert Attends First International Conference on Environmental Research
Penn State faculty member, Dr. Petra Tschakert, Assistant Professor of Geography and Director of the Sustainable Mining Center in AESDEA, attended the First International Conference on Environmental Research, Technology and Policy in Accra, Ghana. This important meeting brought together researchers, consultants, engineers, NGOs, and policy makers to discuss global environmental monitoring and remediation technologies, and capacity building for environmental policy making. It also addressed gender issues in environmental stewardship, especially in Africa’s most disadvantaged regions.
[ERTEP Conference Details]

Penn State and Chevron Form Alliance
Penn State and energy giant Chevron announced a five-year alliance to collaborate on coal-related research, including how best to convert the fossil fuel for cleaner future uses. Other research projects that will benefit from the alliance are carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas management and conversion, advance fuels, coal chemistry and conversion technology. California-based Chevron Energy Technology Co. will provide the university with as much as $17.5 million under the agreement. The alliance will also provide undergraduate and graduate students with education and career opportunities. [FULL STORY]

ConocoPhilips and Penn State Enter a Memorandum of Understanding
ConocoPhilips and Penn State agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a cooperative effort to introduce and launch the 2007-2008 ConocoPhilips Energy Prize program (“Program”). The goal of the Program is to foster original ideas about how to create energy diversity, promote energy efficiency and innovations, and encourage environmental responsibility, with ConocoPhilips awarding a total of $300,000 to the projects that display the best combination of creativity, scalability, commercial viability, and sustainability.

Blackadar Elected as Honorary Member of American Meteorological Society
Alfred Blackadar, professor emeritus of meteorology, was recently named as an Elected Honorary Member of the American Meteorological Society.  A formal presentation of this honor will take place at the awards banquet on January 23, 2008 at the American Meteorological Society's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

Please join me in congratulating Al on this honor.

Pickering Retires After 35 Years of Service
After 35 years on the faculty Dr. Pickering has decided to retire.  Like many of the emeritus faculty in MatSE, Howard will continue to have an active presence in the department as he continues to oversee his research program, works on a book on corrosion engineering and electrochemistry, and teaches MatSE 421- Corrosion Engineering and MatSE 597 – Professional Development. [DETAILED STORY]  

Join me in congratulating Howard on an outstanding career and for all he has done for MatSE and Penn State.

Professors Bring Lessons from Chad's Sudanese Refugee Camps Back to Penn State
During an arduous journey this summer to Chad, where they spent time with Sudanese refugees, Penn State associate professors Lorraine Dowler and Lee Ann De Reus saw firsthand just how fortunate and privileged Americans really are. After talking with Sudanese women about their experiences, the professors' experience became an invaluable teaching tool for them to use in their classrooms. [FULL STORY]

Richard Ernest Tressler - June 14, 1942 - September 8, 2007 [OBITUARY]

In remembrance of Richard E. Tressler
Compassionately the College says goodbye to a long time friend and colleague. Dick Tressler passed away on September 8, 2007. Dick’s family is requesting that donations be sent to support the Richard E. Tressler Faculty Career Development Professorship. Please make checks payable to The Pennsylvania State University and send them to 121 Steidle Bldg., Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802.

Alcoa Honors the Late Richard E. Tressler
Alcoa has granted $75,000 to support the establishment of a Professorship in Materials Science and Engineering to honor Professor Richard E. Tressler.  Dr. Tressler, emeritus Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has provided exceptional service to The Pennsylvania State University and has made numerous contributions to the international materials community. Dick served as Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering for 10 years, was President of the American Ceramic Society, and Founding Director of the Center for Advanced Materials at Penn State.  He also served on the technical advisory boards of Kyocera, Air Products, and Alcoa. In recognition of his accomplishments Professor Tressler was named Academician of the World Academy of Ceramics, Honorary Member of the Societe Francaise de Metallurgie et de Materiaux, the International Prize of the Japan Fine Ceramics Association, and was named Distinguished Life Member of the American Ceramic Society, and received the Hosler Alumni Scholar Award of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

The professorship will provide financial support and encouragement to junior faculty members starting their academic careers in the field of materials science and engineering at Penn State.  The career development professorship will allow junior faculty to direct initial energies to the classroom, and also provide start-up funds for new areas of research.

William Owen Williamson - January 30, 1911 - January 3, 2008 [OBITUARY]

New Exhibit in EMS Museum
The EMS Museum has recently installed a new exhibit on Global Change. The exhibit focuses on the impacts of climate change on human populations in the past and present. It was part of a Senior thesis done by Katherine (Kat) Hinkel who received a double major in Geosciences and Anthropology. Thesis advisors were Richard Alley (Geosciences), Clair Milner (Matson Museum of Anthropology) and Russ Graham (EMS Museum & Geosciences). Kat is now enrolled in graduate school in one of the premier programs in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester in England. We invite you to share this exhibit with your students.

The annual Dean's Staff Appreciation Luncheon was held on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at the Nittany Lion Inn. The luncheon celebrates the achievements of the EMS staff and expresses thanks for their many contributions to the College. Award recipients included:

The Circle of Excellence Award honors a staff member who motivates and inspires others while fostering excellence in achievements and performance, encourages the growth of others, promotes diversity, provides superior customer service, and is viewed as an outstanding staff person. The recipients of the 2007 Circle of Excellence Award are: Frank Driscoll, Materials Science and Engineering and Joan Andrews, Energy and Mineral Engineering

100% On-The-Job

Larry H. Achterberg, Susan M. Hull, Niki L. Page, and Kelly J. Rhoades

SERVICE AWARDS

5-Years of Service

Cindy M. Anders, Rachel Arnold, Chad Bahrmann, Brian W. Bills, Jin Chen, Stephen R. Crawford, Jr., Stacy J. Davidson, Michael Fleck, Judith Hite, Irene Schaperdoth, James L. Sloan, II, Rhonda Stoner, and Rhonda Freeman Spychalski

10-Years of Service

Martin J. Gutowski, Laura J. Liermann, John W. Miley, Phyllis A. Mosesman, Karen Royer, Jon Voortman, and Elizabeth R. Young

15-Years of Service

Larry H. Achterberg, Thomas J. Motel, Janet E. Moyer, Eric S. Sagmuller, and Ronald S. Wasco

20-Years of Service

Linda M. Decker, Linda A. Miller, Lisa M. Skripek, and Pamela J. Stauffer

30-Years of Service

Judith L. Bell and Susan M. Hull